I have taken Pilates for years. It has been so helpful that I eventually bought my own reformer. The important thing is to find a good studio, with well trained instructors. There is a wide variety of styles of Pilates, some of which, in my opinion, are better than others.

Is your class a private lesson or a group class? I would recommend starting out with privates so that someone can really help you focus on your movements and develop good habits.

I am going to a studio one town over. I'm not one for traveling too far to get to gym.

Since the pandemic, I've kept up my own routine of weights and floor exercise. And to my credit, I I'm more toned doing my day schedule at home than I ever going to gym.

But......my abs are lacking.

Running, I like that this can help with balance. Falling or tripping at my age result ng term for injuries. I tore an ankle tendon missing just one step on a staircase! Took two years to heal, and was painful in the process.

I asked about being able to use the reformer on my own, and you can't. I guess that is understood when going studio

Sas how many days do you use yours?

Very curious as to what studio... I went to one just South of you for years. use mine around 4x week. There is no denying it's great for the abs!

It's a Club Pilates.

I have to tell you Club Pilates are awful, in my opinion. For the most part, poorly trained teachers and the classes are way too big for anyone to be correcting you well. I have taken a few free classes at various locations, and it's not "real" pilates, IMO.

Yikes. The classes have 12 people. Is that considered a lot? How is it not real? You are on the machine doing a workout that is supposed to be Pilates. Why would they create a whole program that isn't real?

Why would they create a whole program that isn't real?

Money.

As someone who did ballet for many, many years, form matters, not just for looks, but for the sake of not injuring yourself.

With Pilates, you pay for well trained teachers and personal attention. I am a Barre Method gal. Pilates is too intimidating for me.

I've been taking reformer Pilates classes for years and have my own reformer. It's the only exercise class I've ever truly enjoyed. I go to a very small studio and for the past couple of years have worked out exclusively with the owner. At one time, before acquiring my own reformer, I wanted to get in another session each week but she didn't have space for me so I signed up with Club Pilates. I agree that with 12 attendees it is difficult for the instructors to observe and make necessary individual corrections. My instructor watches like a hawk and makes necessary corrections (she sounds exactly like running's instructor and not what I experienced at CP). Another difference between the two is that with the small studio I pay for six classes but if I need to miss a week I don't pay for a class I miss unlike CP. CP is less $$$ than my private studio though. I didn't find CP terrible and if they were the only game in town I would make it work because it's that important to me. Some of their instructors are better qualified than others. You can ask about the individual instructor's qualifications and narrow down your preferences.

I will always, until I'm physically unable, continue with reformer Pilates. There are so many benefits I appreciate especially as I age. I can do things most women my age are not able to do and I attribute my strength, stamina and trim figure in large part to reformer Pilates. A good friend, who began classes a few years after I started, often echoes my feelings about it. Most of the clients at the studio have been attending for years. She even has one couple in their early 90's who have attended two or three times per week for years; they still live in their own home, drive, and are completely independent. My goal is to be them when I grow up. ;)

Maybe the studio near you is great. check reviews.

Good idea.

I have been doing Pilates reformer for almost four years. I love it and have gotten so much stronger. I go to a very small studio with just a few reformers. For me, it was very important to learn correct form, and I think the small studio has been good for me from that perspective. If private sessions are an option for you, I would do those to start until you feel comfortable with the equipment. Hope you like it!

12 people is insane for a reformer class. I have taken reformer classes of 5, and that is stretching it. You will not learn good form there. If you want to learn Pilates there are good studios near you. This is not one of them. Other studios are more expensive, but Club Pilates is cheap for a reason.

I know a lot about Club Pilates and am hooked in with the Pilates community in our area, eld. Am happy to elaborate on what their program is vs. "Real Pilates." If you are interested feel free to message me.

I have done Pilates for a couple of years in a smaller local studio. Recently a favorite teacher left and was replaced with a classically trained instructor. We joke now about how "remember when we didn't sweat in Pilates?". Those days are gone and now that I am learning proper form, pacing, transitions, and progressions the difference is amazing. One thing is NOT like the other. I enjoyed the previous instructor and classes very much but this is next level and I am seeing great changes in my body.

Several years before that, I went to an intro class at a Club Pilates and thought it was not for me. I know several people who are very happy with Club Pilates, but I agree that the large classes make it difficult to get the attention you need as a beginner.

I have been doing various forms of Pilates with the same instructor for years. I love it and agree with everything runninginplace said. I will be 74 in a few weeks and my balance, strength and overall well-being are important to me.

A good instructor is key. I am not familiar with Club Pilates but 12 reformers sounds like a lot for one instructor to handle. Form is key, and my instructor is always correcting each of us slightly if we are off. This is very important as a beginner. My instructor now has a private studio and we have 5. I also take classes on the Pilates chair and yoga wall. Our ‘aerobic reformer’ class often includes some work on the wall for strength and balance.

Give it a try but do not be discouraged and do try another instructor in a smaller environment if you can.

I've NEVER done a pilates class, seen a studio....nada...nothing. Based on THIS thread...I paid $29 for a drop in class at Club Pilates. The membership for three months....$89 a month is CHEAP compared to a one-on-one class. I realize it has to be done right....but I hate being told-what-to-do every single minute....watched and given that much attention.....so a little bad form is better than NOT getting the benefit of pilates. Which....I think I need. I need better balance...more twisting...more flexibility....

I like being on an open schedule...book a class if I feel like it type of environment. Once I'm an expert....maybe in 10 years....I might want more exclusivity....a personal trainer situation. I see there's a house with a gym in the basement...she takes two students at a time.

Wish me luck! In two hours.... I try pilates for the first time!

LOL I also just signed up for an intro session at a local small pilates studio.

I did mat Pilates before I moved here. I swear it helped me look great for my wedding. I wanted to start again before the lockdown, but I'd only feel comfortable now in a one-on-one setting vs. a group indoors. I've never tried the reformer. But I've been doing some mat moves after my Zumba classes, so I'm working to get back into it.

I would prefer mat classes but they are no longer in favor unfortunately.

I had whiplash years ago and find that even simple Pilates moves on a mat aggravate my neck. The same thing happens with many ab exercises.

Do you Pilates veterans think the neck issues are a form mistake on my part?

My studio is offering mat classes and I have found a combination of mat and reformer compliment each other well. The mat classes are TOUGH because you don't have the machine resistance helping you with the moves. But I feel like I'm stronger on the reformer having done the mat classes. Also, mat can be done anywhere and I learned enough so that I kept doing my mat sequence daily while away on vacation. My teacher also gave me a cheat sheet to help me remember. I'd love to hear how eld and nicole, and SueB like their trials!

I need to keep this as my inspiration picture. My back never looked so good!

dee, I think if you had good instruction in proper form it would help. You should not be using your neck to lift your head, but your abs. The first thing this new instructor worked on with me was the proper way to bring my knees to my chest using abs and raise shoulders off floor using abs. I still do it wrong all the time, but I know how to correct when she calls me out.

OK...weeeeeeell.....not so much. Not going back.

Nicole, please share.

@eld6161....Pre covid, before I moved: I went to yoga class. (A beautiful gym with unlimited classes of ALL kinds)... two locations. Silver Sneakers is FREE. I paid $25 a month!) It was very aerobic. Sun salutations/sit-ups/push ups, we sweated. At the end, savasana, the instructor went around to each of us, giving us ALL neck and shoulder massages with lavender oil on her hands....that's how she ended her class. Shear bliss!

*****At the end of the Pilates beginners class, $29/12 stations in the room/some classes were booked solid, yes I realize there are other levels, I'd not worked anything or stretched anything out. But, I was then familiar with the equipment. We were handed alcohol wipes and told to wipe down the equipment. I'm paying to be there. I am not an employee.

I have so many OTHER options. My house has a full gym. 8 miles of wooded trails outside my front door. Running, Mtn biking, road biking, walking with leg weights. Beautiful scenery with antelope, hooting owls, blue birds, ponds with cat tails & turtles....

Hmm, I think that has become protocol. Equipment is cleaned, but really the only way to clean after each user is for the user to do it. My spin class works that way; there are wipe dispensers all around and the protocol is everyone cleans off their bike when they are done.

And what about the class itself tho?

I took mat Pilates and did not care for it. I had to look up "reformer Pilates."

And what about the class itself tho?

You put your foot in a loop and swirl in a circle, pressure from a spring gives you resistance. Or...lay on your back, put a ball between your knees and pump a bar attached to a spring. The people were nice...the music was current/I like that....

I guess my expectation is...after I work out...I can eat a piece of cheesecake. 😊

I am hoping my class is better. I do intro next Thursday.

Joe Pilates based his work on three principles: Breath, whole-body health and whole-body commitment; with the whole-body encompassing mind, body and spirit.

It is in the honoring of the Pilates Principles that the depth of the work is achieved. These Principles are traditionally cited as:

• Breath
• Concentration
• Centring
• Control
• Precision
• Flow

I copied the above from an article about Joe and his wife Clara. I have tried Pilates with the reformer in a very small class with an excellent hands on instructor. I went to 6 classes.

I have been lifting free weights since 1982. I have been a runner since 1978 and cyclist since 1990's.All that is to explain why I didn't find the Pilates something I wanted to continue as a form of fitness. I have to have flexibility and accessibility . I need the freedom to pursue my exercise at will and it needs to be inexpensive. Admittedly the cycling can be expensive but one of my best bikes was my Schwinn for $250 that I bought in Manhattan in 2007 and rode with the NY cycling club .

I was impressed with the instructor I had in FL for Pilates. The Reformers were in excellent condition and she was very careful to guide the 3 of us in the class individually .

The principles I cited above are exactly what I follow with all my physical fitness activities. Each of them is imperative to get the best out of any exercise safely and with the most physical benefit.

I don't ever want to be dependent on a gym or expensive equipment or an instructor at this stage of my experience. YMMV. Everyone has different goals and needs. That's the key. Find what works best for you and is safe and makes you feel successful and fit. c

Thank you Trail. I agree. I do my own routine which include weights 3 times a week. I walk at least 10,000 steps per day.

For me, Pilates would be a supplement. I am missing the camaraderie of group classes.

I have another gym option that does a few Pilate classes a week, but it's called Burn Pilate.

Yikes. But since it is a mat class, which is really what I want, I will also check it out.

@eld6161 I never liked classes and then when I moved to Lexington I found a different vibe and have liked classes ever since !! Nice to find that spark within me. I'm not a flexible person in many ways :) It has helped me grow in ways I needed to learn. I have been in yoga classes now since 2016 and we DH and I go 3x a week. I also got DH to start a circuit class at the gym . Both places yoga and circuit are walking distance in the next block from our home which makes it even more wonderful and accessible and they are Sliver Sneakers assoc. so we are free !! No excuses !! The circuit class is free weights and she also adds in all kinds of other equipment , whatever suits her fancy that day. She is an excellent teacher and has adaptations for anyone's special needs. I use 30# dumb bells for chest press and some others use 5#. It's all good !! I hope you find the best experience !! Admire you for the 10,000 steps !! c

I totally agree with Trailrunner's point that exercise is individual and what works for one person can be completely unhelpful for someone else.

With respect (honestly) Nicole it doesn't sound like Pilates is an exercise that works for you at this point. It's not about a teacher watching you like a hawk, it's having a knowledgeable instructor committed to making sure you get the best out of an exercise and don't hurt yourself. Swirling your feet is not about your feet at all; it's an exercise to move the straps in your reformer using your core. Everyone cheerfully grabs sanitizer and a hand towel at the end of the session to leave their reformer ready for the next student simply as a courtesy to others. And so on

Pilates is definitely best suited for people who want to 'practice' it in the sense of it being a regular part of a fitness routine that builds consistently based on one's efforts at every group or private class.

Also it's a somewhat unique physical exercise program in my experience in the sense that EVERYONE is always practicing to get better including good instructors. Every teacher in the studio I attend including the owner is constantly taking Pilates classes and attending training seminars. Obviously that's also reflective of my owner's leadership style but it's fairly consistent in my experience-I've never had an instructor who wasn't also constantly learning more him- or herself

Kudos for trying it out, we learn that way what we love and what we don't!

I agree that it is not for everyone. I felt the same way as Nicole when I went to a Club Pilates introductory class...hated it. But, I tried it again under different circumstances and at a different point in my life and voila! I'm addicted! There is no "right way to exercise", only the way you will do it consistently and hopefully enjoy it!